


How to Grow a Romance in 3 Easy Steps

by im_the_king_of_the_ocean



Category: RWBY
Genre: Drama & Romance, Fluff and Humor, Multi, OT3, Polyamory, Volume 7 (RWBY), takes place during
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:48:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27832546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_the_king_of_the_ocean/pseuds/im_the_king_of_the_ocean
Summary: Oscar is in love with Ruby, but the crush she has on Penny is more than plain for him to see, so he keeps his feelings to himself.After hearing from _WBY how obvious Oscar’s crush on Ruby is, Penny seeks out a conversation with the farm boy in the hopes she can compare her feelings for Ruby with his, to figure them out.While Oscar and Penny discuss their feelings for Ruby (and each other), Ruby, left to her own devices, panics over having crushes on both Oscar and Penny.A Poly Love Story in 3 Acts.
Relationships: Oscar Pine/Penny Polendina/Ruby Rose
Comments: 8
Kudos: 34





	How to Grow a Romance in 3 Easy Steps

_I fell in love with her the moment I saw her silver eyes._

A shiver runs up Oscar’s spine.He stares at the last line of the story, as if the intensity of his gaze will make it change to something else entirely.His stomach twists uncomfortably into knots.Oscar can imagine, far too easily, what it feels like to fall in love with a silver-eyed person.The way one’s heart skips a beat.The rush of heady emotions.

He’d chosen to read this book of fairytales to _forget_ about his problems for an hour or two (and maybe find a deeper understanding of Ozpin along the way, since it was Oz who collected the stories for the book once upon a time).Not to be _reminded_ of his woes.

Oscar sighs.He closes the book with a light thump, tosses it to the side, lies on his back, and stares at the ceiling.When they were first getting settled, Jaune had given him the choice of top or bottom bunk in their Atlas dorm room.Oscar chose the top.It gave him a little more privacy, distance, from his teammates.Oscar likes Jaune, Nora, and Ren, they’ve become his friends, but they can be a bit _much_ at times too.

There are times, like now, where Oscar enjoys being able to think without being asked _what_ he’s thinking about.He’s not quite sure how _that_ conversation would go, and he’s not eager to find out.There are far more important things they need to focus on than something as insignificant as a puppyish crush.He never even _considered_ romance an option before leaving his aunt’s farm.He shouldn’t now.

Because, because it doesn’t matter how _he_ feels about Ruby.Not in the slightest.Ruby doesn’t feel the same way about _him_.He doesn’t make her heart race.She doesn’t smile softly, tenderly at him.Not like she does at…

Oscar rolls over and groans into his pillow.It would be much easier to endure if it were literally anyone else who managed to gain Ruby’s affection.Literally.Anyone.Else.ANYONE.

Other than Penny Polendina.

Oscar hadn’t known her before, at Beacon, like everyone else had.After talking to them, he found out Jaune, Nora, and Ren hadn’t known Penny too well either back then.She’d been closer to Team RWBY, and _especially_ Ruby.Oscar had wondered, after witnessing how Penny and Ruby just _looked_ at each other, if there’d been something _more_ between them back at Beacon.He’d asked.His three teammates looked between themselves and admitted they didn’t actually know.

Although JNPR and RWBY were close in their academy days, some things still didn’t leave their respective teams, Jaune explained.It wasn’t until after the Fall that they’d learned that Ruby had known Penny’s true nature for quite some time before the tragedy in the arena, for instance.They kept their own secrets too.Ren and Nora had revealed their past to Jaune, and their late teammate, Pyrrha, but not to RWBY.

(Pyrrha Nikos, for the record, remains an entirely separate topic Oscar isn’t sure how to think about.He knows none of his friends consider him her replacement on Team JNPR.Even though his name technically has a ‘P’ in it and Ironwood was more than willing to register him as the new fourth member of JNPR in Atlas’s databases, they’d instead insisted on calling themselves ORNJ.It causes some confusion since Jaune is still the team leader, but, for them, it works.Both to represent who they are _now_ and keep the memory of who they were _then_ in tact.)

Back to the point, if there were anyone (outside of Ruby), to choose to have a crush on, Oscar completely understands why Penny would be that choice.She’s like no one else he’s ever met, and not just because of the robot thing.Okay, yeah, the fact she can _fly_ is pretty cool.But, more than that, she’s sweet.She’s one of the most kind-hearted souls he’s ever met. 

Most importantly, Penny doesn’t see Oscar as just the boy who’d tagged along with her actual friends because their old headmaster had taken up residence in his head.She sees him as a potential new friend in his own right.She’s gone out of her way to make him feel welcome in Atlas.She didn’t really have to do that.Especially not when she’s so busy herself being Protector of _an_ _entire city_.

It makes it impossible to dislike her.And really, it’s flat out unfair to dislike someone just because the person you happen to have a crush on has a crush on them anyway.

A part of Oscar wishes he _did_ dislike Penny.That part of him is convinced that, if he were just to channel all his heartbreak over not being the one to catch Ruby’s eye into negative emotions for her, it would be easier to cope.Every other part of him knows it wouldn’t be.Not truly.Not in any way that counts.

Oscar’s scroll vibrates.He sighs to himself, but reaches over to pick it up to read whatever message has been sent to him.

* * *

 _Text from_ **_Ruby Rose:_ **

_Hey Oscar, later me and Penny are gonna to go to that arcade that you told me FNKI told you to check out, wanna come?_

* * *

Oscar stares at the text as one minute passes by, then another, and a third after that.Yes, he’d told Ruby about the arcade.Team FNKI had told his team about it after one of their training bouts.It was apparently one of FNKI’s favorite places to unwind and destress.He’d told _Ruby_ about it because he knew how much she enjoyed video games.

(He figured it could probably be a great place for some kind of first date between her and Penny, as well.At least, that’s where _Oscar_ would have taken Ruby if he’d ever been able to ask her out.)

(Look, if Oscar is never going to get his chance to admit his true feelings, the least the two of them could do is just _go out with each other already_.Ruby and Penny really have no subtlety whatsoever in masking their emotions and he wants them, _both_ of them, to be happy.)

Oscar had even encouraged Ruby that maybe Penny would enjoy going to to the arcade with her, as gentle nudge in the right direction, when he told her about it.She’d been _receptive_ to the idea.Oscar had been _happy_ to see Ruby so excited (sure he couldn’t be her, or Penny’s, happiness, but he could bring them together so they could be that for each other).

But now they want him to come with them.And third wheel their date.

Unless they don’t consider it a date?Which, okay sure, knowing them, they probably _don’t_.But still.

For the first time in his life, Oscar wishes he’d paid just the slightest bit more attention to his aunt’s gossip on the going-ons of the closest town to their farm.None of it was particularly interesting, but a lot of it did seem to revolve around who should be in a relationship with who.Maybe some random tidbit from back then may have now proven helpful in figuring out this current situation of his.

A quiet voice in Oscar’s mind (one that’s definitely his own and _not_ Ozpin) reminds him its not _his_ job to play matchmaker between his friends.

(Though, he does need to direct his restless crush emotions _somewhere_ and ensuring Ruby and Penny’s future happiness seems a good a place as any.)

Oscar grumbles to himself.He’s about to type out a reply saying, no, he’ll be busy, he can’t come.Sure, he would _like_ to, because he _does_ enjoy spending time with them, but he’s not certain he _should_.

He gets another message before he can send his out.

* * *

 _Text from_ **_Penny Polendina:_ **

_Ruby said she already invited you to the arcade, but I just wanted to say I’d be excited if you come too!More friends = more fun!!!_

* * *

Oscar knows he can still say ‘no’.He doesn’t have to go just because Penny has now asked him too.But she’s his friend, and he cares about her ( _a lot_ ), and she gets so little time off to spend with friends, _any_ friends, including him.If she and Ruby aren’t seeing this outing as a date anyway?Well, then he can just let that be something he figures out how to push them toward later.

After taking a deep breath, Oscar messages back asking after details, like when exactly in the day they were planning on going.


End file.
